By Kegan Peffer
A cell phone, a power bank, and an unstoppable attitude, in today’s highly flexible world of work, that’s all you need to create the career of your dreams.
Chances are that your career looks very different to what your grandparents, or even parents, imagined. Back then, career security was the ultimate accomplishment, and once you’d found your niche, there was enormous satisfaction to be derived from climbing that corporate ladder as far as it would take you.
It was Generation X who first started thinking about the world of work differently, imagining the possibilities of developing expertise in one field before moving on to chase goals in another. Millennials and Gen Z have taken this one step further: Why not use work as a platform for expanding your skills and exploring your interests?
This is how the age of the slashies was born. Far from being bound to a desk and a deadline, today’s digital nomads are masters at managing more than one career at a time.
They juggle their different roles with poise and purpose, skilfully fulfilling their corporate ambitions while investigating their creative potential with a side hustle in, say, photography.
Much has been said about the hustle culture that has resulted, with critics blaming it for the development of our ‘always on’ society. I believe that slashies have found the answer to the work/life balance question that has plagued us for so long and which has until now proved elusive.
That’s because they’re allowing themselves to follow their passions, which is always self-affirming and satisfying. What’s more, they’re also able to integrate work into their lifestyle – so, if they have a have booked a holiday at the same time that a deadline is due, there’s no problem. They’ll simply find a way to make it work.
A snap survey conducted on Adoozy’s socials shows that many of the company’s customers have adapted to this way of working, with 63% of respondents saying that they have more than one income stream.
If there’s a single secret to succeeding in the hustle culture, it’s making sure that your phone is always fully charged. This is especially important in South Africa, where a sudden bout of load shedding can be a real obstacle to entrepreneurial ambitions.
Here are some additional tips to thrive as a slashie:
Find out how to use your smartphone optimally
Since this really is all you need to get your side hustle going and organise your life as a slashie, it makes sense to research productivity apps, timers, calendars, email programmes and voice recorders to make sure you have easy access to any tool you might need.
Even apps like Dropbox can be downloaded onto your phone, making it possible to work from anywhere you like or simply maximise those minutes between meetings.
Be disciplined
This may sound like the antithesis of a lifestyle built around doing what you love, but actually, it’s key to making sure that you deliver on what you promise – and you certainly want to do that if you are to retain clients and enjoy success in each of your ventures.
If you’re busy with professional work, maintain your focus. When it’s time to shift over to your side hustle, don’t let demands from other clients distract you.
Learn to be comfortable with uncomfortable situations
It’s true that you may end up working a lot harder than your friends who have company jobs – but then again, they are not able to tap away at their laptops while working from a taverna on a Greek island.
Running a side hustle may involve certain sacrifices, but many people with successful slashie careers feel that the chance to live an authentic life is worth it – and, if you plan your days carefully and use effective productivity tools, you’ll be able to get more done, in less time, than you could imagine!
Kegan Peffer is the chief executive of Adoozy Power.
*The views expressed here are not necessarily those of IOL or of title sites.
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